What is deep work? 7 ways to boost your concentration
A deep life is a good life. ”
- CAL Newport
The ability to work deeply doesn’t just give you an edge in the modern workplace—it also brings satisfaction and meaning to your daily tasks. Here’s how deep work can boost your work performance and enrich your daily life:
7 ways to build deep work into your schedule
Your mind is like a muscle, which means you can build your capacity for deep work through practice and consistency over time. To get you started, we’ve laid out seven rules to help you establish a deep work habit.
1. Choose a deep work philosophy
In order to work deeply, you need a plan that fits your individual schedule and work preferences. In his book, Newport outlines four different approaches (or “philosophies”) to follow as you decide how to schedule your deep work. Depending on your lifestyle, some approaches may work better than others:
Rhythmic philosophy: With this approach you establish a regular habit and rhythm for deep work, blocking out 1-4 hour chunks to focus at the same time every day. When scheduling time for deep work, keep in mind that most people can’t sustain more than four deep work hours per day. For example, you could schedule time for deep work between 8-10am every weekday. The key to this strategy is consistency, which you can achieve by committing to a certain amount of deep work every day. To effectively implement this strategy, try a time management technique that compliments it, like time blocking.
Journalistic philosophy: This method is the most flexible and allows you to fit deep work wherever you can into your schedule. For example, you could schedule time for deep work when you have at least 90 minutes between meetings. Keep in mind that this approach requires you to switch into deep work mode at will, which can be difficult for beginners. If you’re just starting out and have a predictable meeting schedule, the rhythmic philosophy may be your best bet.
2. Create rituals to increase your focus
Research suggests that our brains remember specific associations. When you pair two things—like salt and pepper, or a clean desk and concentration—your mind learns and anticipates that same combination in the future. That means you can create rituals to trigger concentration and tell your brain it’s time to focus. For example, if you always clean off your desk before writing, a clear workspace will make it easier for you to focus on writing in the future.
You can also build additional triggers into your routine to jumpstart your concentration, like lighting a candle, listening to a specific type of music, or dressing in a certain way.
3. Prioritize your highest-impact work
With focus, prioritization is key. Often the more you try to do, the less you actually accomplish—so in order to work deeply, you need to concentrate on the most important task and ignore everything else. Here’s how to do it:
Decide in advance what you’ll work on during each deep work session.
Create clarity with team and business goals.
4. Track where you spend your time
You need to invest time to get things done, and deep work is no different. That’s why managing your schedule and taking charge of your time is critical—because to build more deep work into your routine, you have to make room for it.
Here are some strategies to help you understand and manage your time:
Audit how you’re spending your work time.
Audit your meetings.
Schedule your day.
5. Reduce digital distractions
Distraction is the arch-nemesis of depth. But distraction—especially of the digital variety—is more common than ever in today’s fast-paced work environment. At a time when 80% of knowledge workers report working with their inbox open and nearly three in four employees feel pressure to multitask every day, avoiding digital distractions can seem nearly impossible.
But minimizing distractions is still doable with a few simple strategies:
Turn off notifications.
Make depth your default.
Choose your tools wisely.
6. Schedule time to recharge
Rest is just as important as work. Setting aside time to recharge every day can help prevent burnout and make your deep work habit sustainable. Newport suggests that you should disconnect fully from work to get the most of your downtime, so setting clear boundaries is essential. He recommends creating a hard cut-off time for work each day (for him, it’s 5:30pm), and avoiding work on the weekends. That means once you’re done, you’re done—no checking Slack on your phone, composing emails in your head, or thinking about upcoming meetings.
7. Track progress towards your goals
Setting clear goals is one of the best ways to stay motivated and sustain your deep work habit over time. In fact, when psychologists tested the impact of different motivational techniques on group performance, they found goal setting was one of the most effective. That’s because goals create intrinsic motivation—the drive to succeed that comes from within yourself, rather than external factors like praise or compensation.
Deep work is one of the best ways to maximize your creative potential—but it’s about more than just productivity. Ultimately, working deeply just feels good, and it can help you feel energized and empowered to accomplish challenging tasks each day.
References:
https://asana.com/resources/what-is-deep-work